Blind Sight
by Darkangelsdevil
Summary: Being able to see is a blessing that most do not understand. But being able to perceive is one that few have. Kotori learns how necessary both are to earning respect and love. Gaara and OC
1. Chapter 1

_A girl about four or five ran through a damp forest. She frantically looked back every few seconds, even though her eyes were useless. Habits die hard. So did she. The sounds of rustling in the bushes forced her to go even faster. Her lungs tore harder at each breath that she struggled to pull. The girl was so focused on the sounds behind her that she didn't realize that she was heading towards a cliff. By the time her directional sense had kicked in, her feet were already slipping on the mud. The ground pulled her towards the edge. She fell down off the cliff just as her pursuers reached the edge. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out._

Umiha Kotori sat up in bed with a sharp gasp. It took her a moment to realize that she was safe in her own room, not falling off a cliff. She slumped down with a sigh and wiped some sweat of her face. She looked over to the corner of the room where Kishi usually slept but she wasn't there. "Must have gone out." She shook her head and slipped out of bed.

Kotori pulled out a pair of black shorts and a purple t-shirt from her dresser. She rummaged around in her drawers till she found a black tank top with brown stripes. She took those clothes and the necessary underclothes into the bathroom.

She turned the shower on and adjusted the temperature. While she was waiting for the shower to heat up, Kotori pulled a comb out of a drawer and pulled it through her shoulder length chestnut brown hair. Steam rose out of the shower as she washed off the sweat that the nightmare had caused.

_I haven't had that nightmare in so long. I wonder why it happened now. _Kotori contemplated as the hairdryer's noise filled her ears. She glanced at the mirror again as she brushed her hair out. Her hazel eyes stared worriedly back out at her. She sighed and slipped on her white head band.

Walking back into her room, she picked up a long, thin, rawhide string with a silver dolphin charm on it. She pulled it over her head and tripled the sting so that the bottom layer held the charm and there were two more layers that settled easily on her skin.

Kotori headed downstairs and paused at a shrine with a picture of a woman with her eyes on it. "Ohayo, Okaa-san. I had a nightmare so I am going to work out until Kishi comes to find me and tells me that the meeting time is near. I will be careful so have a good morning. Ja ne." She left the house and took off down the street. No one saw her fast departure because she was all but invisible to the untrained eye. Not that there were many people up at six in the morning to see anything.

Three hours later finds Kotori in an open area on top of a cliff. She was dripping with sweat as she paused in her taijustu practice. A giant jaguar landed next to her. This jaguar was six feet in body length with another foot and a half in tail. It stood as high as Kotori's head at its shoulders. "Morning Kishi." Kotori greeted the giant predator calmly.

_Morning. You should take a shower soon unless you plan on seeing the Kazekage smelling like a sewer._

"That boosts my confidence. I can always count on you to not mince your words for my sake." Kotori winced. "I'll go right now. Did you have any luck hunting?"

_A little. Nothing to write home about._

"If you could write."

_If I could write._ Kishi agreed.

"Then I better feed you too before I go to see the Kazekage." Kotori prepared to sprint away but paused. "Now that I think about it. This will be my first time meeting him."

_Congratulations. Let's all have a party. Can you go NOW? I'm hungry._

"Fine." She traveled back to her house at the same speed that she had come. Kishi easily followed on the rooftops. Neither on them were seen as they sped back to the large house that was called their home.

Kotori dashed upstairs at half speed and sifted through her other clothes for replacements of her normal clothes. A pair of black capris and a light brown shirt entered her view and she swiped them up as she ran into the bathroom for a second shower in the span of four hours.

She didn't bother to blow dry her hair this time. She just pushed another white headband onto her head and walked out the door. Since she had a meeting with the Kazekage, she couldn't run around like she normally did. She had to be seen, especially since she wasn't one of the many ninja of Suna.

She entered the towering brown building and brushed sand off of everywhere. You couldn't help but get sandy when you lived in a desert. Everyone eventually got used to it or moved somewhere else.

Kotori didn't mind getting dirty that much. She just preferred to be clean when it was possible. She checked in with the Kazekage's secretary to let her know that she was in time for her appointment and then sat down in a chair that was located on the wall. Someone else was in the room at the moment so she had to wait.

Kotori was a little apprehensive about seeing someone who was the most powerful ninja in the village. Her overly large imagination built her mental image of the Kazekage up to be a ferocious looking hulking giant of a man with scars everywhere and tattoos along his exposed skin. She immediately giggled to herself. _This is stupid. He can't be that bad if he became the person who protects this village._ Kotori settled down to wait for her turn.

An older woman exited the Kazekage's office and spotted her. She hobbled over to Kotori's seat. "Are you here all alone, child?"

"Yes. I do most of my business by myself."

"Aren't you afraid?"

"No. Why?"

"Haven't you heard the stories about the Kazekage before he was our leader?"

"I'm not native to this village so I haven't heard many of the stories from here."

The old lady cackled. "Well then, I fell it is my duty to inform you before you come face to face with him. His mother died at his birth."

"That is very sad for him." The truth of her feelings was conveyed in her eyes.

"Aye. It is very sad, but not for him. For the rest of his family. He was the one who killed her." Kotori raised an eyebrow in confusion. "He has a demon sealed inside him, girl. The demon child killed his own mother. He continued to kill as he grew up. He became a merciless killer by the age of six, threatening to kill even his own siblings. He may be the Kazekage now but a leopard doesn't change its spots." She cackled again at what she assumed to be a scared look in Kotori's eyes.

_This is how the people of this village think of the person who protects them with his life?_ Kotori's eyes were wide. _I don't understand. Is it a baby's fault for its mother dying at birth? They can't do anything about it._ Kotori stood up and walked to the door, responding to the secretary's summons.

"Be careful, child." The old lady called before walking out of the room.

Despite her disbelief that the protector of the village could be like the senile old lady's story, Kotori felt much more trepidation about meeting the Kazekage than she had before.

She entered the room and found herself looking at a boy who seemed to be about her age. He had bright red hair and pale green eyes. There was a kanji for love on his forehead and he had black rings circling his eyes. _This is the Kazekage? He is my age._ Kotori looked into his eyes. _How can people be afraid of him. I don't see or sense anything to be afraid of. He feels like he is a quiet, reserved person. Not at all a sadistic killer like that lady said._

Kotori relaxed immediately. _This isn't going to be hard at all._

Gaara had heard the old woman's story from inside his office. He was a ninja after all and had more acute hearing than a normal civilian's. He sighed inwardly. Although becoming the Kazekage had gained him a respect from the people of Suna as a ninja, many people continued to fear him for what he was in the past.

_This girl will be no different._ He thought as the slender girl entered the room and closed the door behind her. She was slightly tense but showed no other outward signs of trepidation. She seemed to examine him with her eyes before directly meeting his own.

After staring at him for a second or two, her eyes softened and she visibly relaxed. Gaara was surprised but he didn't show it. "How may I help you?"

"I just came to get a passport signed."

Gaara shuffled through some papers. "Yes. I have it right here. Umiha Kotori, correct?" He stored the name in the back of his mind for future reference. "You are planning on traveling where?"

"To Konoha." Kotori replied tugging at a strand of hair.

"Why?"

"I am going to visit relatives."

Gaara glanced again at the passport. "Everything is filled out and I see no reason to not allow you to go. When are you planning on leaving?" Gaara signed the document and put the stamp of the Kazekage on it.

"In two days." Kotori accepted the document. She smiled a sincere smile of gratitude. "Thank you Kazekage-sama." She bowed before going out the door.

Gaara's heart jumped slightly at her smile but it was gone before he could even figure out what he had felt. He shrugged to himself and returned to his paper work.

Kotori was almost skipping with happiness as she clutched the passport to her chest. _Two more days and then I get to see itoko!_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two days had come and past and Kotori was standing at the gates of Suna, pack on her back, and waiting for the ninja to finish looking over her papers. "Everything's in order. You may go. Have a nice time in Konoha!" He waved her off with a slight smile as she hurried out of the gate.

Kotori kept her pace to a fast walk until she was out of sight of the Suna guards. Then Kishi popped up from behind a sand dune._ Will you be requiring some assistance, my lady?_ She asked in mock politeness.

Kotori laughed and tossed her pack over to Kishi. "Race you till the forest." She took off at a fast run with Kishi matching pace. The two of them reached the edge of the forest at the exact same time.

_Well done._ Kishi praised.

Kotori wheezed out a laugh as she leaned over with her hands on her knees. "Yea right. Like you don't hold back for me. I could never keep up with you if you really decided to run."

_This time you kept up with me much easier than before. This shows improvement._

"Yeah, yeah. If you say so." Kotori stood up and took her pack back.

They alternated running and walking through the forest for the rest of the day until the shadows showed that night was fast approaching. Kishi silently appeared out of the trees to Kotori's right. _There is a good size clearing up ahead that will do well to camp in tonight. _She said.

"Okay. Thanks. Can you show me it?" Kotori asked. Kishi jumped off and Kotori followed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Gaara." Temari greeted as she walked into the room. He nodded his head. "Tsunade sent a messenger bird requesting a meeting with you when you have the time. It sounds like she had some prisoner with information on an attack on Suna but was found on Konoha lands. So they are holding him in Konoha but want you to decide what to do with him and the impending attack."

Gaara rapidly read the letter and then looked up. "There is no important meeting in the near future."

"Correct."

"Then I do not see a reason to not go immediately."

"I was hoping that that would be the case. It is always such a bad idea to leave these attack conspiracies to the last minute. I'll get supplies ready and send a message back to Tsunade. And get a guard together."

"Just you and Kankurou should be fine."

"I don't know Gaara. The Kazekage should have more protection."

"No one will know of my departure if we do not make it widely known. I do not believe that there is a reason to believe that we will be attacked."

"There are always common thieves and ninja that wait for anyone along the road."

"Do you trust in your own skills so little that you do not believe that you can protect us from those types of attacks?" Gaara questioned her.

Temari smiled. "No. You are right. We will be just fine on our own. I won't make a fuss over the preparations then."

Gaara nodded a dismissal and returned to paperwork while his sister completed the necessary preparations for their trip to the allied nation.

As he began filing the papers that he had completed, he glanced at the copy of the passport that he had signed for the unknown girl earlier. He recalled that she was also travelling to Konoha. *It is doubtful that we will cross paths. Normal citizens take the roads that carriages can travel on.*

Before leaving his office, Gaara wondered why he had even thought of meeting her again in the first place.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone! I'm so glad that my first chapter caught so much interest. I apologize for the time that it took me to update. I was on vaca in the Grand Canyon and then Arizona. Absolutely no internet at camp sights. I made this chapter really long to make up for it. I really hope you like it. I'd like to thank araikoe for the amazing review! I feel really grateful for reviews like that. Here is the next chapter!

Nearing the end of their first day of travel Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou realized that there was another presence in the forest besides them. Since the person was hiding themselves, they made no motion to show that they recognized the fact except a glance at each other.

At an unspoken signal Temari and Kankurou branched off and vanished into the trees. Gaara continued straight until he came to a small clearing that at least provided some space to fight in. The standard plan while the three were traveling together was for Temari and Kankurou to herd the unsuspecting victims towards Gaara. He was to trap them in sand. At least one of them was to be left alive to question their motives. He was becoming proficient at this and the death rate had become one to zero on average. Gaara heard the unmistakable sound of metal clashing against metal and waited, not quite patiently for his siblings to set the trap.

The first figure to burst into the clearing was Temari. She moved in a blur of blonde, brown and the purple and white of her tensen. A brown, blue, and black blur followed. Forcing Temari to defend, the other person still managed to be agile enough to dodge Karasu's attack.

The girl, Gaara now identified the gender of the person, tried to leave the clearing by way of the trees. A wall of sand blocked her path. She used it as a rebound point and launched herself at Gaara, a kunai in her hand. She had crossed half of the airspace before recognition flooded her face. At the same time, Gaara recognized the girl that had caught his attention back in Suna.

Kotori wrenched around in mid air, changing her trajectory so she landed away from the Kazekage that she had just tried to kill. Somewhere along the way, the kunai had dropped from her hand and lay on the ground a few feet away. She decided it would be prudent to leave it there so that she could try and convince these people that it was actually an accident. _So I really didn't mean to try and slice your jugular, Kazekage-san. Well, yes I was going for your throat but it was an accident._ She mentally snorted at her pathetic argument. _Yeah. That'll convince them that I'm not harmful._

The puppet thing wrapped its limbs around her and held a very sharp looking knife to her neck. "She's definitely an assassin, Gaara." The girl said, still slightly out of breath. "I say we kill her now."

Kotori's eyes widened but she held completely still. _Please don't kill me!_ Kotori mentally shouted at the Kazekage, Gaara, the girl had called him.

Gaara studied her. "You are Umiha Kotori."

_A statement. Not a question. Oh well, at least I can confirm that._ Kotori moved her eyes up and down, exaggerating the movement so that they would see it.

"Why did you attack?" He asked. Kotori tried to open her mouth but her throat came dangerously close to the knife and she quickly snapped it shut again. "Kankurou. Move the knife away from her. Let her talk."

The knife moved away and she gratefully sucked in a large gulp of air. "I didn't know it was you before I attacked, Kazekage-sama. I just reacted on instinct. And to present my side, I **was** attacked first."

"We attacked because someone was attempting to follow us and stay hidden. You are not a shinobi of the sand. Why would you hide like one? Why should we not believe that you are a spy from another village?" Temari demanded.

Kotori narrowed her eyes. "I will not tell you what to believe or not. I will only present the facts. I am not a spy from another village. Yes I am not a shinobi but I have had some training. And as for the hiding, I was trying to see what way you were going. I try to avoid other people while I'm traveling. They tend to be dangerous."

"Why are you traveling this way anyways?" Kankarou questioned.

"I'm going to visit family in Konoha. Kazekage-sama signed my passport a few days ago. This way is faster than the roads."

"It is dangerous. Most civilians don't go through here." Gaara's gaze didn't reveal what he was thinking.

"I already said that it was faster."

"I still don't understand why you hid." Kankurou said.

Kotori sighed. "I already told you, it's dangerous out here. Especially for a woman traveling by herself."

"You are by yourself?" Temari asked incredulously. "And you are not a ninja? That is way too dangerous to travel through the forest!"

"It is not!" Kotori looked offended. "I am perfectly capable of protecting myself if it comes to that and I'm very good at staying away from danger!" Anger flashed through her eyes.

Gaara had been listening intently to the conversation. "Kankurou, you can release her. She isn't a threat to us."

The puppet thing moved and Kotori rotated her arms to loosen the kinks. "Thanks. And I am sorry that I tried to attack you."

Temari looked at her and then back at Gaara. "You said there wasn't any real hurry to get to Konoha, correct?" Gaara nodded. "Then do you want to travel with us? It's safer for you." She offered to Kotori.

Kotori hesitated. It was safer but letting these people see Kishi was not high up on her list of things to do. People tended to have negative reactions to her jaguar.

_Go with them. It would seem suspicious not to. _

_But-_

_I'll be fine for a couple of days. And knowing other ninja in Suna is a good thing._

Kotori nodded. "I'd like that. But I have to get my pack back where I left it."

"We will wait here." Gaara said. "Or we can go with you."

"I can find my way back here perfectly fine." A little heat tinged her voice at what Kotori interpreted as a jab to her abilities. She took off back through the trees.

_That was not what I meant. _Gaara thought as he watched her fade.

"She has a little bit of spunk doesn't she?" Kankurou asked.

Temari nodded. "I like her. I was suspicious at first but it looks like everything shows in her eyes. I think she is telling the truth."

Kotori landed next to Kishi. "I should be there in another three days. It won't be that long so you'll be okay right?"

_I already told you, I'll be fine. You are the one who is worried and will have trouble without me._ Kishi teased.

Kotori smiled. "I'll see you in Konoha. Have fun." She picked up her pack and headed back to the clearing.

"Ready?" Temari asked. Kotori nodded. "Can you stay in the trees for a while?"

"I'm okay at it. I can get to Konoha in about twice the time that shinobi can."

"Then we will go in the trees for as long as we can." Gaara started off and the other three followed.

Silence stayed with them as they continued towards Konoha. Kotori's foot slipped but she steadied herself and continued. The falter caught Gaara's attention and he continued to observe her out of the corner of his eye. After several more falters, he signaled for a stop.

Kotori's face burned red but she didn't complain.

"Sorry." She muttered.

"It's fine." Kankurou grinned at her. "We don't mind taking it easy sometimes. We hardly ever get to, you know."

Kotori reluctantly smiled back. "Thanks."

"So, if you aren't one of our shinobi, how did you get so good?" He asked.

Kotori scowled. "I should have known that this was coming."

"Of course." He grinned. "You are in a group of jounin and your Kazekage. You are going to be pried for information, whether on accident or on purpose."

She smiled. "True. My cousin has helped me learn taijutsu."

"If he thought that you were that good, why didn't you try and enter the academy?" Temari asked.

"I did. I entered when I was ten but I was refused graduation four times."

"Why?" Kankurou wanted to know.

An expression of hatred crossed her face. "Since I can't do any ninjutsu and my taijutsu was only adequate, there would be now way in hell that I would ever get certification from their academy." She bit off each and every word.

"Only adequate?" Temari looked shocked. "That was anything but adequate. What kinds of idiots run the academy?"

"I'm not sure." Kotori shrugged. "I decided that it wasn't worth my time to degrade myself to learning when they said they would never graduate me under any circumstances."

Gaara raised an eyebrow. He made a mental note to look at the old academy records to see if that was the real reason why she was refused. _If so, I might have to see if I can fix that. She would be a very valuable addition. _

"What did you do after you left the academy?" Temari wanted to know.

"I got a job at a restaurant."

"And you were how old?"

"I was fourteen. It was a family restaurant and I just waited on tables."

"Why did you get a job? You could have learned some other trade."

"I had no reason to learn another trade. I didn't need money. I just wanted to do something. I don't like sitting still."

"Why don't you need money? Are your parents rich?" Kankurou asked.

"My father is a merchant who has several shops in several countries. He's traveling between them all the time, never stays in one place for very long. He carries a variety of merchandise; anything from food to ninja apparel." She was very vague and kept her gaze trained away from the group.

Temari wisely steered the conversation back to a safe route. "So you just like working?"

"Yeah. It gives me something to do. I stayed working there for about two years. After that I started working at the animal shelter vet place thing. It amazing. Lots of the dogs that we take in there I help train to be companions for the shinobi or for sniffing dogs for the village patrol. I've been there for two years now and am really glad that I made the switch." A real smile curved her lips and lit her eyes.

"Why did you enter the academy at ten?" Gaara asked his first question. "Most enter at an earlier age. It is easier to learn at an earlier age."

"I haven't lived in Suna my entire life. I used to live in a small village by the ocean. There were no hidden villages near there. I couldn't enter until we moved to Suna and that wasn't until I was ten." Kotori glanced up at the tree tops. The shadows were getting darker. The trees never let in a lot of sun but the darkness of the shadows was a good indication of what time it was. "It's getting late. We should probably look for a place to camp for tonight."

Gaara knew that he should be reminding her that he was the leader and that it was his directions that they should follow. However, the urge to do so was nonexistent. He was normally insistent on following only one leader so his silence stunned his siblings.

Temari and Kankurou looked at each other and then shrugged. They followed Kotori in her search for a sheltered place to sleep.

Their camp ended up being in a small grassy circle with a couple of fallen trees blocking the wind on one side. Kotori had her sleeping bag laid out and a fire pit built before the other three could blink. "You do this often." Temari commented.

"Not really. I just got good at it. Survival skills are really important to my cousin so I learned." Kotori rummaged through her bag. "Um… I can make rice. I have spices but I don't have meat. Eating dried food would be horrible right now. Fish would be good but do I have time to go fishing before it gets really dark?" Kotori kept a commentary up with herself.

"I'll go get the fish." Kankurou said.

"Oh good. Then I can just get some water to start the rice. Vegetables or fruit would be good but I don't have anything but dried."

"How about I go get the water," Temari offered. "and you see if you can scrounge up some veggies."

"Oh great!" Kotori pulled out a pot and shoved it at Temari. "Then you can get the fire going well and set up a couple of spits so we can cook the fish and the rice and the same time." She said happily to Gaara.

All three of them disappeared to their jobs before Gaara had the chance to blink. He knelt down and started to pile up kindling. He was not used to taking anyone's orders. Kotori really didn't seem like she was meaning for them to be orders but it was uncomfortable all the same. Before Naruto had knocked some sense into him, he had been a monster that no one dared to tell anything to. After, he became the Kazekage and then he was the one giving out the orders. A change, not unpleasant, just uncomfortable.

Temari was the first back with the water. By that time, Gaara had set up three sturdy spits. She hung the pot on the one centered over the flames. "Nothing to do now but wait." Temari smiled. "But at least we are going to eat something other than my cooking and travel food."

Gaara smiled slightly. "You really are a bad cook."

Temari playfully shoved him. He rolled with it and shoved her back. It was still a novelty to play around like this. Two years ago, the Akatsuki had been defeated and all the tailed beasts had to be either returned to their hosts, if alive, or given to new, willing hosts.

Shukaku was returned to him. Now he was not able to sleep again but he had gained a fair amount of chakra and control over sand on his own. Instead of defending him as closely as it had previously, his sand now read the intent of the person near him and only prevented those with malicious intents from touching him. Gaara did not know how it was done and he really had no notion of looking into it further. It suited his purposes and that was all that mattered to him.

Kotori returned soon, armed with a few wild carrots, potatoes, and some herbs. "Oh, the water is boiling already!" Kotori shoved the vegetables at Gaara and pulled out the packet of rice. Glancing at the marks on the inside of the pan, she measured out six cups of rice. "Okay, we'll just let that cook. Do you guys mind having carrots and potatoes in your rice? Its really good."

Temari shook her head. "You're the best cook out of all of us it looks like. You go right ahead with whatever you feel is necessary."

Kotori blushed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Gaara said.

Kotori smiled and busied herself with cleaning and chopping the vegetables with a lethal knife from her pack. Kankurou soon returned with the fish and Temari helped Kotori clean and remove the scales.

"Where did you learn to cook like this?" Temari asked, watching Kotori crush herbs and use them to flavor all the dishes.

"I always cook so I guess I learned from necessity. I'm not sure how it tastes to others. I'm usually the only one eating it."

"Cause your dad travels?"

"Yeah." Kotori leaned back and stared at the flames. Temari didn't have to be a master at reading signals to know that this conversation was not comfortable for her new acquaintance.

After stirring the rice again, Kotori sat back and looked at her three companions. "Okay, fair is fair. Temari-san, Kankurou-san, Kazekage-sama, tell me a little about you."

"Gaara." Gaara said. "My name is Gaara when I'm not in my office."

"Okay. Gaara-san. Are you volunteering to be first?"

"What do you want to know?" He asked warily.

"Just the basics: age, sex, birthplace, zodiac sign, blood type and preferences for a partner." Kotori was sarcastic. Gaara raised his eyebrows. "You can just tell me what you feel is fair for the information that I told you earlier. I already know that you are the Kazekage and I'm pretty sure that you are around my age."

"You are eighteen."

"Yup."

"I'm one year older than you are."

"Wow! You are really young. Nineteen and already the Kazekage."

"I became Kazekage at fourteen." Kotori stared. "The previous Kazekage was killed during a confrontation with Orochimaru and I wanted to protect the people of the village."

Kotori smiled. "I know something similar to that feeling. Happens every time I see an animal that has been mistreated by those that it thought loved it."

Temari opened her mouth to say something. Gaara shot her a look that warned her not to bring up the past problems the villagers had with him. Kotori missed the look because she was dishing up the food that had just finished. "Why don't you talk after we eat?" Kotori suggested.

A comfortable silence ensued while they quickly put away all the food. With a sigh of contentment, Kankurou put aside his bowl. "That was great."

"Thanks." Kotori ducked her head slightly.

"It really was." Temari agreed as Gaara nodded his head. "Do you want info on me as well?" When Kotori nodded, Temari began. "Well, all three of us are siblings. I'm the oldest so that would put me at four years older than you are. I fight with a tensen and I'm one of the strongest kunoichi out there."

"I believe that."

"I'm the second oldest and three years older than you are. I fight with puppets."

"Really? I hadn't noticed. Except for the one that had me wrapped up like a spider's supper back there."

Kotori stood up and pulled a large wash bin out of her bag. The three siblings stared at her, trying to understand the physics that would allow something so big to fit in something so small. "I'll go back to the river and get wash water but you guys have to wash the dishes."

"I could get it." Kankurou offered.

Kotori shook her head. "I'll be able to find it easier in the dark than any of you will." And she was off before any of them could remind her that they were the shinobi, not her.

Temari turned to Gaara. "Can you believe her story about her experience at the academy? A load of shit if you ask me. Who the hell in their right mind would say that she isn't able to be a shinobi?"

"I plan to see what the official reasons were upon my return. It might be that she is not telling all the facts."

"You mean she's lying. I don't think so."

"No. There is lying and then there is only telling parts of the truth. I believe she does the latter."

"Which one of us doesn't?" Temari inquired. "All of us have things that we want to keep personal."

They heard Kotori's foot steps and she came into view, lugging the tub that was filled to the top with water. Sand lifted it from underneath and she squeaked in surprise as it was pulled out of her hands and lifted above her head. "What the hell?" She started at the sand.

"I have it." Gaara's voice was lower than normal due to his uncertainty with her reaction.

"You? How are you doing that?"

"I can control sand."

Kotori blinked. "You control sand and live in the desert. How convenient!" She walked back to the fire and the tub followed her.

After the dishes were finished, Kankurou and Temari began getting ready for bed. Kotori looked back and forth between them and Gaara. "Don't you want to decide who gets what watch tonight?"

Gaara settled against a tree. "I take watch the entire night."

"That's impossible. You need to sleep too!" Kotori argued.

"No I don't."

"How?" Kotori asked.

"Shukaku will come out if I do."

"Shukaku?" Kotori cocked her head to the side. "The one tailed demon? What does that have to do with you?"

Temari and Kankurou stared in amazement. "Have you had your head in a hole the entire time that you've lived in Suna?" Kankurou finally blurted out.

"No I haven't!" Kotori's face flushed in anger. "I don't like to listen to gossip. I keep my nose in my own business." Kotori paused for a second. _Rumors? That old lady back at the village said something about a demon being sealed inside him._ "Oh!" A light bulb turned on. "You're a junchiruki?"

"Yes." Gaara closed himself off, sure that she would try and avoid him now.

"No wonder that old hag at you office said all that stuff. So you're just like Naruto?"

Her reaction floored Gaara. No one had ever acted so nonchalant about the demon inside of him. "You know Naruto."

"I've been to Konoha. Anyone who has been to Konoha knows Naruto." She rolled her eyes. "I swear, he can be heard throughout the entire country when he gets loud." She looked at Gaara. "So Shukaku keeps you from sleeping?"

"Yes."

"Okay then. I guess I'll just leave the rest of the night watches to you then." She crawled into her sleeping bag. "Good night Temari-san and Kankurou-san. Have fun on watch Gaara-san." She was out almost immediately, his brother and sister soon followed.

Gaara sat watching her sleep and listening for any unusual noises. _That reaction, she acted almost like Naruto did. Was it just an act or does she really feel that way?_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day was divided between leaping in the trees like monkeys and walking along the ground. All four of them spent their time trying to get to know each other better. Despite her initial impression, Kotori found Gaara to be a fair talker. Of course, he would never in a million years accumulate the hours that his best friend- she had discovered Naruto and he considered themselves that- had but he wasn't mute either.

They were avidly discussing the different weapons that were common for shinobi to have, when Kotori broke off mid sentence. She sniffed the air. The other three tensed, assuming that she had found an enemy. They were surprised when she broke into a smile. "We're near the hot springs!" She exclaimed. "Do you guys want to stay here tonight? I know it's early to stop but these hot springs are so nice to relax in."

"I agree. And since it's unanimous, lets go find a place to drop our packs!" Gaara and Kankurou looked at each other as the women put on speed and left them in the dust.

"Did you give your vote?" Gaara shook his head. "Neither did I." Kankurou shuddered. "I will never win an argument with a woman who is determined."

Temari and Kotori had already shed their packs in a small clearing and were grabbing clean clothes and towels out of their bags by the time that the men had caught up. "We're going first and if I catch either one of you peeking, it will be the last thing that you will ever do." Temari threatened as they shoot towards the pools.

"I think she really means it." Kankurou instinctively held his hands over his crotch. "She really knows how to make it hurt. Although looking at my sister is disgusting. I bet she did that only for Kotori's benefit."

Gaara just looked at him. "Let's get the camp ready so we can go when it's our turn."

Kotori gasped for air as she came up from under water. She paddled slowly over to where Temari was sitting on the side. "Isn't this great?"

"Mm. It's wonderful. I haven't felt this relaxed in a while." Temari opened her eyes. "Kotori-san, do you want me to see if I can get the academy to allow you to graduate? I've seen your skill with my own eyes and I don't believe that there were grounds to not allow you to graduate."

Hope shone in Kotori's eyes but then disappeared. "No. Thank you. I'm really very happy that you offered but," She gathered her thoughts, "I would hate it if I became a shinobi because of a recommendation or a threat or something."

"I wouldn't threaten. That's too easy to get in trouble for. I would never do something so obvious."

Kotori gave Temari a look. "No thank you. If I had become a shinobi by my own efforts, I would have been very happy. This way, it's not right and I wouldn't be able to accept it."

She settled next to her on the rock. "I really do appreciate the gesture. I hope you understand my reason."

Temari chuckled. "I understand completely. I would probably say the same thing. Nothing is worth anything unless you earn it by yourself."

"Exactly."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Late afternoon, the gates of Konoha came into view. Kotori felt a little regret. It felt like she would never see her new friends again if she left them now. _Don't be silly. _She chided herself. _You live in the same city. It will not be impossible to see each other again._

Temari turned to her. "This is where we have to part. It seems like it's been too short."

"I agree." Kotori looked at the gates. "But I'll just have to look you up in Suna. It's good that we live in the same village."

"You will be here for two weeks." Gaara asked.

"Yes. Are you going to be here for less?"

"It's likely. It usually isn't good for the Kazekage to be gone from the village for too long."

Kotori smiled. "Okay. I'll head back myself then. Hopefully, we can see each other back at Suna Gaara-san."

"Just hide this time, don't go after the strange people that you hear in the forest." Kankurou teased her.

"Shut up." She punched him in the shoulder.

They all handed over their passports to the ninja on guard. After they were validated, they all continued through the gates.

"KOTORI!" A voice familiar to all four of them shouted.

"Oh no." Kotori turned to face the owner of the voice.

So who is the mystery voice? Find out next time! I'll try and get the next chapter up in two weeks. It should be good. I feel that this next chapter is the real start of the story! Ja ne- Rai


	3. Chapter 3

Here is the next extremely delayed chapter of Blind Sight. Lots of chaos has been happening so everything got delayed. I thank everyone for reading and hope that you all like it!

A green blur was flying at top speed towards them. Kotori dropped her pack on the ground to give her more mobility. Trying to time it correctly, she jumped to the side of the blur. It was a futile effort. Arms snapped out and latched around her waist. Rock Lee pulled Kotori into a rib crushing hug. "COUSIN! YOU MADE IT!" He swung her around in several circles before releasing her.

Kotori stumbled a little, wheezing from his assault. "Lee, how many times have I told you? That hurts and I can't breathe!" She punched him lightly on the shoulder and gave him a hug of her own. "I'm happy to see you too."

"Kotori-chan!" A female voice called. She looked up to see Tenten, followed closely by Neji and Gai.

"Tenten. Neji. Gai-san. It's good to see you as well." She gave each of them a hug. The Suna trio watched the display in awe. They had not realized that Kotori's cousin was Rock Lee. And they didn't know that anyone could ever hug Neji and not die for it. Granted he did not reciprocate it, he did allow it.

"AH!" Gai exclaimed. "Your youthful fires still burn as bright as ever!"

"And I see that you still make ludicrous statements, Gai-san." Kotori smiled at him and shook her head. "You think that after all this time you would have changed some but no. You might even be wearing the exact same outfit as the first time that I met you and no one would be able to tell." He didn't seem to have a response to that immediately so she turned to talk to Tenten.

Gai then noticed her new friends still standing by her pack. "Kazekage-sama. Temari-san. Kankurou-san. What brings you to Konoha?" The four young adults next to him turned around to face the three.

"I have a meeting with Hokage-sama." Gaara replied. "I didn't know that the relative Kotori-san was meeting was someone I knew myself."

"You know the Kazekage?" Tenten asked Kotori.

"Mhn." She nodded her head. "We traveled together most of the way. I've only just really met them though. I didn't know that Lee knew you either." The last sentence was addressed to Gaara.

"He was a most worthy rival to me during the chunnin exams and a staunch ally when I tried to rescue Sasuke from the hands of evil!" Lee posed.

Kotori ruined it by poking him in the stomach. "Stop that. Just saying, 'yes, we've met' is so much easier."

Lee rubbed his stomach as Kotori turned to Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou. "Thank you so much for traveling with me. I had much more fun that I would have had alone." She picked up her pack. "I hope I will see you guys again once we are both back in Suna." She phrased it slightly like a question.

"Of course you will see us." Temari answered. "We do live in the same village."

Kotori grinned and waved goodbye. She turned and followed Lee, who was keeping up a continuous dialogue of the events that had happened since he had last seen her.

Gaara watched Kotori walk away for a few seconds before heading towards the Hokage's tower.

Kotori smiled at Lee's transparent joy at seeing her again. She let him prattle on about the people of Konoha, listening with half an ear. The rest of her attention was riveted on taking in the scenery. She had always loved Konoha for its friendly people and atmosphere but it was very beautiful as well.

Lee stopped talking and smiled when Kotori didn't hear his question, her attention elsewhere. He enjoyed seeing his cousin and was happy that she was happy to be back. "Kotori?"

She started. "Huh?"

"Did you hear my question?"

"Um… no sorry."

"I can see that your attention was occupied."

Kotori beamed at him. "Yeah. Konoha is gorgeous." She looked around again, eyes lingering on the foliage.

"How are you?" Tenten asked.

"I'm doing quite well, thank you." Kotori turned her smile on Tenten and dropped back to walk beside her. "How have you been since I was here last?"

"That's a long time to summarize in one sentence."

Kotori giggled. "True. Here, I'll make it easy for you. How have you been recently?"

"Good. A little tired because we got a few extra missions but nothing unmanageable."

"That's good." They continued to fill their time with small talk as they headed towards the training grounds. Gai lead them to their usual secluded spot. Kotori settled down by a tree and watched them warm up for a little. She reached up and casually rubbed her now present jaguar. "Hey Kishi." She said in a low voice. "Did you have a good trip on your own?"

_Yes. It was very leisurely. If you four had been going any slower, I could have gone from Suna to Kohona and back again in the time after we parted._

"Hey!" Kotori exclaimed, indignant. "It's not my fault that I didn't have the chakra to devote to running! Being around people without you requires a little more concentration of chakra to my eyes you know!"

The training shinobi turned to look at her outburst. "What do you mean, more concentration chakra to your eyes?" Neji asked, walking over to loom above her.

Kotori sighed. "I don't know how to explain it simply. I've never really explained how Tsunade fixed my eyes."

They all continued to look at her expectantly. She sighed. "Alright. I'll explain." They settled in to hear the story.

"When my mother was murdered, fourteen years ago, I was also the object of an attack. The objective was to obliterate my entire family. The only reason my father escaped this attack was he was in another country on business. Besides, I doubt that he would have been killed if he had pleaded for mercy. They only wanted Okaa-san and me because of our blood. It was obvious that Okaa-san had the bloodline limit. I still didn't know if I had it or not but they didn't want to take any chances on missing one. All around the world, those of my mother's clan were being killed. The few that remained anyway."

"I only survived because Okaa-san attacked the man who was trying to kill me. She wasn't trained in ninjustu and was a slight woman so the best she did was make him miss the vital targets. He managed to slice the optical nerves and the chakra passages that lead to my eyes. I escaped and ran through the forest. I lived because I fell down a cliff and they left me there for dead."

"By all reasoning, I should have been dead. The distance from the top of the cliff to the ground was such that it would have severely injured and possibly killed even the most accomplished shinobi, let alone a child of four. I'm still not sure how I survived." Kotori waved her hand. "But that's beside the point. The point was I could no longer see. The medic-nin that my father took me to when we first found out that my eyes were useless said that this was not an injury that he could heal. My father tried a lot of different healers for about a year after Okaa-san's death but after that he gave up until he heard that the legendary medic-nin Tsunade was back in Konoha."

"Three years ago, my father brought me here to see Tsunade to discover if there was anything that she could do to help me. It was a very long examination but Tsunade said that she could try. The success rate was about twenty percent but my vision couldn't possibly get worse and there were nothing else that could go wrong with the procedure. So I decided that I wanted to do it. Both Tsunade and Shizune performed several operations on my nerves and chakra passages for two weeks. By the end, it was obvious that they had succeeded."

"I couldn't see that well yet. Things were kind of blurry but I was happy to be able to see at all so I took it as that was the best that I was going to get. But I was wrong. Tsunade could only do so much. She could easily reattach the nerve endings because they had only been severed and hadn't seemed to deteriorate at all. She said it seemed to her that they were trying to reattach themselves all these years because it was so easy to get them back together." Kotori laughed.

"The chakra passages were harder to handle. I had not used the passages and just like a muscle that you have never used, you can't do much with it. Tsunade warned me that if I didn't keep a constant stream of chakra going through my passages to my eyes, they could return back to the state they were in before the operation. So for the past three years, I have been running a constant stream of charka through them. It was hard at first. I don't need to do it at night but I don't have any problems regaining my vision in the morning anymore. It used to be that I would have to send a huge burst of chakra through them to get them to reopen after not using them."

"It has just become a habit now to do when I'm awake. It had built up my chakra reserves immensely having to use it every waking hour." Kotori smiled again. "But its worth any trouble and pain that I've had to go through because now I can see the people and places I love again. It's wonderful."

"Do you know if you will have to circulate your chakra through your eyes for your entire life?" Neji asked.

"No. I'm not sure. Tsunade never gave me a timeline as to how this was supposed to work. She said that we would decide based on my progress but I never was allowed to go back for a follow up exam." A sneer formed on her face. "Father" Worlds of scorn filled the word. "felt that if I had my vision and instructions, there was no need to return or spend excess money on anything else. Since I'm now a legal adult and I can come here without father being able to forbid it, I have an appointment with Tsunade to check on my eyes. I'm sure that they are fine but it really would have been better to follow up with the exams as Tsunade scheduled."

Kotori took a deep breath. "There you have it. That's how my eyes were fixed."

Lee had tears welling up. They overflowed as he exclaimed. "COUSIN! I had no idea the trouble that you had to go through!" He launched himself at her again. This time she dodged by jumping over Kishi. Lee slid to a stop before he crashed himself into several hundred pounds of jaguar.

"Your explanation explains why the circulation in necessary for your sight but it doesn't explain why there is a difference between when you are just with Kishi and when you are with other people." Tenten stated, looking at Kotori expectantly.

She squirmed. "When I'm just with Kishi and there is no one else around, I kinda slack off." She said in a quiet voice.

"Slack off?" Neji raised an eyebrow slightly.

Kotori sighed. "I use Kishi's sight to compensate for the slight unfocused images that I see when I lessen the amount of chakra needed for my eyes. I normally don't do that because I like seeing from my own eyes but when I'm trying to run through the trees, I need more charka than I normally need."

"You probably shouldn't be doing that." Tenten admonished.

"Well I don't have a choice." Kotori stuck her nose in the air. "It takes much too long and I don't really have a way to practice jumping through trees and using my eyes at full strength out in Suna."

"Now now." Gai posed in his good guy pose. "Let's commend Kotori-chan on her determination to get to Konoha and begin our training."

Kotori leaned against Kishi. "Explaining things to them is tiring." She complained.

_But just think, you won't have to answer as many questions from them later. And you condensed the story into a shorter amount of time than it would have taken for you to just answer exactly what the question was looking for._

"I don't think that it would have been possible to answer any questions about this without having to get the whole story in there." Kotori sighed.

They settled back to watch the practice. Kotori tried to absorb everything that she watched. She needed these training sessions to come up with new things to try to train herself to do. No one in the village was willing to help her learn how to be a ninja without certification.

A few hours passed of the training and watching. Darkness started to make it hard to see well in the trees. Gai finally called an end to the training session. Lee and Kotori walked off together. Kishi vanished silently into the shadows. _I'll meet you at his house, _slid through Kotori's mind.

Lee insisted on taking Kotori's pack from her. "Really Lee, you don't have to do that. I can handle carrying it. I carried it here."

"But it is the gentlemanly thing to do."

Kotori sighed and laughed. "Okay. You can carry it."

They walked along in comfortable silence for a few minutes. "So how have things been between you and uncle?" Lee asked.

Kotori snorted. "Who my father? Are you sure he exists? Cause I'm not. I think it has been over six months since I last saw him. The only reason I'm here now is because I'm eighteen and can get a passport on my own. I'm just glad that I have enough money to support myself."

"So he still doesn't realize that he is a parent first and a business man second?"

"I don't think he even realizes that he has a child." Kotori glared at the shadows. Then she sighed. "Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore. He can't make anymore decisions for me. The only thing he is to me is the person who helped bring me into this world."

"Okay. I am just glad that you are able to come visit again."

"Me too." Kotori's smile lit up the night. "I like Suna but it's nice to be around people who know me well." She paused. "Well, Kaoru does know me but he doesn't really believe that I could become a ninja if I wanted."

"Who is this Kaoru?" Lee's protective instincts came to the front.

"Kaoru is my boyfriend. He is a chunnin from Suna."

"I don't think that you should have a boyfriend. You are much too young."

Kotori punched Lee on the arm. "Come on, I'm plenty old enough."

"Then he isn't good enough for you."

"You would say that about any boy that I met. And I believe that I can make good choices in boyfriends." They reached Lee's house. "And I am not going to break up with him because you don't like the idea of me having a boyfriend so stop breathing down my neck."

Lee was still seething as he opened the door but he kept quiet. His little cousin was very stubborn about things she really believed in. "Your room is in the same place as last time you were here. Sleep well. I will probably be gone when you get up so go ahead and explore on your own."

"Thanks Lee. I will but I will probably try and find you later. Are you training again tomorrow?"

"Unless an unexpected mission comes up."

"Then I want to watch again. Night."

"Good night."

Kotori got dressed for bed and then sat on the ground next to Kishi. "Glad to be back?"

_It is good to have a change of pace. You should go to sleep. You have an appointment with Tsunade early in the morning._

"I know." Kotori remained looking out the window, staring at the stars, for a few more minutes. "Stars are pretty." She said before she climbed into bed and drifted off into sleep.

Thanks agian for reading! I hope everyone liked the explanation that I provided. It is really important so remember it!- Rai


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry it took so long to update. Starting college and all the chaos that comes before and after has consumed my life. I finished this one during my lecture class because my prof puts me to sleep. Hope you like this chapter. The next one will bring in more favorite characters that we all know and some of us love. Here it is!

Kotori woke up the next morning to gentle nudging from her jaguar. "Morning" She punctuated the word with a yawn.

_Good morning, sleepy head. I take it you had no dreams last night?_

"Nope. I didn't. I sleep much better that way." Kotori sat up and stretched. She got out of bed and stretched again. "Did you eat?"

_Yes. I ran early this morning. I woke you up because I thought you might want some time to get ready before you see Tsunade. _

"That would probably be a good idea." She mumbled as she headed towards the bathroom. After a quick shower, she pulled on black, knee length shorts and a light blue t-shirt. Kishi sat outside the bathroom, grooming herself. "What do you think will happen during the check up?" Kotori asked as she pulled her wet hair into a ponytail.

_I do not know. I have little knowledge of how human medics work. I'm sure it will be fine. After all, it did work and you can see, right?_

"Well, yes but…" Kotori trailed off as she fingered the hem of her shirt.

_But your sight isn't perfect so you are worried that you did something wrong. _

Kotori nodded her head. Kishi rubbed her cheek against Kotori's and gave a low purr. _It will be fine. The fact that you have your sight at all is good. If you have the ability, I'm sure Tsunade will have a way to make it stronger._

"Thanks, Kishi." Kotori rubbed her hand up and down the side of her neck, letting the silk of her coat sooth her. "What would I do without you?"

_Well you wouldn't think sensibly for one._ Kotori let out a startled laugh. _And you probably wouldn't be able to hunt as well for another. But we can't just sit here listing the reasons why you can't survive without me. You would miss your appointment._

Kotori shook her head but walked downstairs and fixed herself a light breakfast before heading off to the hospital. She waved to the few people that were about on the street. It was still early so there weren't many.

The hospital was located near the center of town so Kotori found it easily enough. It also helped that she had a really good memory of where things were located without landmarks. The hospital seemed to have just opened when Kotori walked in.

She walked up to the front desk. "Hello. I have an appointment with Tsunade-sama."

"Umiha-san right?" The nurse looked at the schedule. "I'll inform the Hokage that you are here. Please have a seat while you are waiting."

Kotori murmured her thanks and sat in a chair in the corner. She watched avidly as people bustled about their business. She didn't think that she could ever tire of watching things.

She watched a young woman with pink hair walk over to her seat. "Hello, I'm Tsunade-sama's apprentice and she sent me to bring you to the examining room." The woman looked up.

"Sakura?" Kotori asked at the same time that the young woman asked, "Kotori?"

Suddenly they both were jumping up and down and hugging each other.

"How have you been?" Sakura asked. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"I've been just great? How have you been?" Kotori took a step back and looked her up and down. "Wow. You are really pretty Sakura."

"Thanks." Sakura paused. "Wait… you couldn't see. You were blind!"

"'Were' being the key word there. I'm not anymore!"

Sakura squealed in happiness. "How did that happen? That is so great!"

"Why do you think I'm here to see Tsunade silly?" Kotori teased.

That brought Sakura back to thinking about what she was supposed to be doing. "Oh yeah. Oops. We should probably head up to the room. Tsunade is waiting for us."

They talked nonstop as they walked to the room. Kotori explained briefly what Tsunade had done to her eyes to get her to see again. "She can probably explain to you better than me how it really worked."

"I'm sure she can. How do you like seeing? Is it odd?"

"I love it. Everything is so beautiful. I just love watching anything and everything that goes on around me. I'm so glad that my sight is fixed. Yeah it is a little odd but not overly so. It was worse when it first got fixed, but I'm used to it now."

Sakura held open the door to a room. "Well, I'm glad for you anyway."

Kotori smiled. "Thanks."

She was stopped from saying more. "Took your time didn't you Sakura."

"Sorry, Tsunade." Sakura apologized to the blonde woman in the room. She looked around thirty or so but Kotori knew better. Tsunade was over fifty but kept her age hidden with a jutsu.

"I'm sorry too, Tsunade. I haven't talked to Sakura in such a long time so it was mostly my fault that we were slow."

"You two know each other?" Tsunade asked, looking between her young apprentice and the young woman that she had taken a special interest in.

"Yeah. I know just about everyone my age in this village."

"Really?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "And how did you manage that?"

Kotori grinned, an impish look on her face. "You would be surprised as to how many doors are open to a poor blind defenseless little girl."

Tsunade laughed. "You are anything but defenseless."

"They don't know that." Kotori blinked innocently.

"Alright. Sit down now and I'll take a look at your eyes." Tsunade washed her hands in a nearby sink. "You'll help me with this, Sakura. I want you to learn how this is done. It could be very useful if it is improved."Sakura set down her clipboard and washed her hands as well. Tsunade placed her hands on either side of Kotori's head and they began to glow green. "I could examine you better if you wouldn't make your chakra interfere with the process." She commented dryly.

"Oops. Habit." Kotori said by way of an apology. She cut off the chakra that she was channeling to her eyes.

"That's much better." Tsunade was quiet for several minutes as she felt the tissues, nerves, and passageways. She removed her hands. "Sakura, you take a look and tell me what you think."

Sakura's hands replaced Tsunade's and she too was quiet for several minutes. "Well, that is really interesting." She commented as she removed her hands.

"What?" Kotori looked at the duo. "What's interesting? Is something wrong?"  
"No. Not exactly. It would have been much better for you to have had the follow up treatments like you were supposed to. It is going to take several months to finish the process instead of the few weeks that it would have originally."

Kotori smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." Her apology was short and almost rude. Tsunade noticed that and- knowing what she did about her father- left it as it was.

"Well, I'm not saying that we can't fix it. It just would have been better the other way."

"By the way, what is so interesting?" Kotori asked.

"Well, I need to check something. Could you run just a little chakra to your eyes?" Tsunade put her hands back on her head.

"Sure." They sat in quiet for a minute.

"Ah. Just as I thought." Tsunade removed her hands. "You can stop now."

"What is it?" Kotori asked, slightly impatiently.

"Well, since the follow up treatments were never completed, the connection between your optical nerves deteriorated. The place where it was cut has disconnected itself. But because you kept on sending charka, you were still able to see. It's not something that is usually see, charka acting as normal sight. There are eyes from clans like Uchiha and Hyuuga that see things by themselves, but they aren't like normal sight."

"That is weird." Kotori mused. "I knew that my sight wasn't perfect but I thought the nerves were still connected since I could still see."

"Would you mind explaining the actual sights that you were seeing?"

"You mean the places?"

"No. I mean how your vision was working. Did you see colors? Shapes? Movement? Those sorts of things."

"I could see all that. At times, it would be kind of blurry around the edges and it would get worse when I got tired but I could see pretty well."

"Hm. That's different than what I expected. Well, I'm going to try something different this time then. I'm going to use your chakra to do the healing process. I believe that if I use mine now, it will reject it. Also, using your charka could give you even greater vision than what we had originally aimed for since it already allows you to see without the nerves being connected."

"Okay." Kotori agreed.

"Sakura, you will assist me with this so you can learn how for a future date."

An hour passed in the operation room. Tsunade walked out, looking tired but pleased. Sakura followed, helping Kotori to walk, since she had bandages around her eyes.

"What is the point to the bandages again?" She asked irritably.

"To keep you from using your chakra today. You can't use it at all today and minimally for the next two days. The bandages can be removed tomorrow."

Kotori sighed. "Okay." She paused. "Tsunade, the Kazekage is coming around the corner."

Gaara did indeed come around the corner right after she said that. "Tsunade-sama." He nodded his head.

"Kazekage-sama." She returned the greeting. "I appologise for being late. One of my treatments took longer than I expected. If you could give me a few more minutes." She turned to Sakura. "Take Kotori to Lee's house and then you are dismissed to go train with your team."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Sakura linked arms with Kotori and steered her around Gaara. Kotori gave a small wave as she passed.

Gaara's eyes followed her down the hall for a few feet before turning back to Tsunade. "Why was Umiha-san here?"

"Oh you know Kotori-chan?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes. She is a citizen on Suna, I signed her passport, and she traveled to Konoha with me and my siblings."

"Wow. She normally won't let anyone travel with her."

"Why?"

"I think she likes her space."

"Why is she in the hospital?"

"She was getting a follow-up treatment for an old injury. You will have to ask her if you want to know more. Now, why don't we go back to my office?" Tsunade walked towards another exit from the hospital.

_I will._ Gaara looked towards where Kotori had disappeared before following Tsunade.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So did you come back to Konoha just to meet with Tsunade?" Sakura asked Kotori as they walked along the streets.

"No. I came to see my cousin as well."

"Who is your cousin?"

Kotori stopped and faced Sakura. "Are you really that dense, Sakura?"

She paused as well and faced her. "Lee?" She asked after a few seconds.

"Yes."

"How is that? You look nothing like him."

"He looks like his dad. My father's sister is his mother."

"Wow." Sakura resumed walking. "Lee. I never would have expected that."

"I know." Kotori smiled. "You guys seemed to have the impression that I didn't really live anywhere. You never asked me about my life."

"Hm. I never really thought about that." Sakura considered it. "I think I didn't ask when I first meet you because I was worried that it would bring up bad memories about how you became blind. Then I just never got around to asking. You were too good of a listener to my problems. I never considered asking you if you had any. I'm sorry."

"No, no. Don't apologize. I loved learning about you guys. I just always found it amusing that you all could take me at face value like that." She gave a small yawn.

"We should hurry to get you back to Lee's house. You will need to sleep for a while. Your chakra is being exhausted by this."

"I'm not that tired!" Kotori protested even as she yawned again. "Okay so maybe I am." She admitted while Sakura giggled. "But I don't want to stop talking to you! I haven't seen you in so long. Who knows when I will again?"

"How about you come to training with me tomorrow? I'll come pick you up and we can talk when I'm not training. And you can see Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and our new member Sai tomorrow as well."

Kotori thought. "Well, you present a really good argument. I have to concede the win to you this time."

Sakura laughed. "Okay. I will come pick you up in the morning. Rest until then, okay?"

"Okay. I promise." Kotori stopped outside of the house. "I will see you in the morning."

"See ya." Sakura left and Kotori went inside.

She stumbled up the stairs, her body feeling heavier with each step. Kishi was resting on the floor, leaning against a wall in her room. _What is wrong with you? _Kishi sat up worriedly.

"Nothing. I'm just tired because Tsunade used my chakra to fix my eyes this time. I'll tell you about it later. I'm really sleepy." Kotori collapsed on the bed and curled up. A minute later she shifted positions. She kept shifting positions for a while before crawling off the bed, grabbing the blanket, and snuggling up to Kishi.

_Sleep well, small one._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So you can see why I found the need to ask you to come here." Tsunade said as she settled behind her desk.

"Yes. I thank you for that. This information on the planned attack on Suna is beneficial. It is disappointing that we couldn't get more information from the man that you have captured."

"I believe that whatever organization this is, is actually very intelligent. From what is sounds like from the information that we have, they have kept all information that is not necessary to the person's job to a select few. But at least you do have some warning on this attack."

"Yes." Gaara pinched the bridge of his nose. "That is better than nothing." He stood up. "If you will excuse me Hokage-sama, Kankuro and Temari are waiting for me."

Tsunade nodded. "Let me know if you wish to meet with me again before you leave Konoha. And we are willing to assist you if necessary."

Gaara returned the nod. "I will inform you if it comes to that."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kotori woke up late that night with a dry mouth and an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She quietly got up and padded downstairs to get a glass of water. She returned with it upstairs and stood, staring out of the window of her bedroom as if she could actually see the stars.

She was interrupted from her musings by a soft tail brushing her ankles.

_"What has your fur standing so much on end?"_ Kishi asked.

"I'm not sure." Kotori said after a pause. "I feel like something is going to happen. Like a sixth sense feeling."

_"Good or bad?"_ Kishi asked without ridiculing the notion of a sixth sense.

"I can't tell. But I'm trembling and I feel as if I need to go into battle at any second. It might just be the after effects of a dream but I can't recall dreaming anything."

_"Then all we can do is wait and be watchful. Sixth senses are important to listen to."_ Kishi lay back down. _"Come. You must rest." _She commanded.

"Hai hai." Kotori smiled and turned away from the window, putting her uneasy feeling aside for the moment.

So, we have a little more story development, a little suspense, and a connection to the people of Konoha. I hoped you liked it. There will be more for the next chapter!


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